Music History Today: October 6, 2020

October 6, 1927: The first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, is released.

The Jazz Singer was the first feature-length movie with spoken dialogue and it was one of the most important movies ever made.  

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It cost $500,000 and when it was released in Manhattan on Oct. 6, 1927, there were less than 100 theaters in the world equipped to show it. "  

Read more: TIME

October 6, 1958: "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio raced up from number 83 to 37 on this date.

In 1866, a woman named Laura Foster was murdered in Wilkes County. 

Tom Dula

A man named Tom Dula, pronounced "Dooley", was convicted and hanged for the crime. That murder and the name Tom Dooley live on in one of the most famous folk songs ever to come out of North Carolina.

Read more: North Carolina Ghosts

October 6, 1969: For the first time in the history of the Beatles, a George Harrison song, "Something," was released as the "A" side of a Beatles' 45. 

While promoting the new Beatles album, Abbey Road, in 1969, John Lennon described George Harrison’s ‘Something’ as “about the best track on the album.” Released as a single in October that year, ‘Something’ would be George’s first Beatles A-side. 

Read more: U Discover Music

October 6, 1976: Rick Dees And His Cast of Idiots receive a Gold record for the novelty hit, "Disco Duck." 

Five days before his song “Disco Duck” hit #1, Rick Dees was fired. He was working as a DJ on the Memphis AM station WMPS. He’d recorded “Disco Duck” as a sort of side-hustle goof, but the song had taken off. 

WMPS wouldn’t let Dees play the song; they figured it would violate FCC rules about conflict of interest. Other Memphis stations wouldn’t play the song, either; they didn’t want to promote their competition.

Read more: Stereogum

October 6, 1973:  The song "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel was the US Number 1 Easy Listening song.

Songwriter Jimmy Webb recalled how he finally found a song that Art Garfunkel liked, leading to the success of the singer’s debut solo single, “All I Know.” Webb , who also wrote “Wichita Lineman,” “Up, Up and Away,” and “MacArthur Park,”  praised Garfunkel’s voice, after the singer said he's always doubted it. 

Read more: Ultimate Classic Rock

Blue Skies
Al Jolson